WRT ON SS RLA RRS OS POO BEM EL

RESEARCH LAMP ORAT ORES

WAETEAS TD bee 6 TELE THON E rc

July 10, 1973

Dr. Paul Berg

Stanford University Medical Center
Department of Biochemistry
Stanford, California 94305

Dear Paul:

Your letter of June 11, concerning Biohazards in Cancer Research,
awaited my return.

I have gotten hold of the "Minimum Standards of Biological Safety
and Environmental Control for Contractors of the SVCP" dated August 1972.
I find it rather seasoned and pretty much good sense. There was a meeting
on 3/14/73 concerning this and I am told there will be a new revision soon
which will likely make the standards more realistic as regards especially
university-type research.

My conclusion is that the guideline is good and lacking in any
of the partially suppressed hysteria of Asilomar. It is a guideline which
I believe the American Cancer Society could concur in and to which they could
make reference.

I have enclosed a copy of the August 1972 draft.
My suggestions are that:

a. We review the present and the new revised procedures as
soon as issued.

b. We adopt them without modification unless there is a real need.
ec. We add the following statement:

"These are guidelines prepared by the Office of Biohazard

and Environmental Control of the National Cancer Institute,
National Institutes of Health. They should be adhered to

as closely as feasible within the resources and facilities
available to the grantee. In any event, a local committee

Should be formed at the place where the grantee is.working

and that the local administration shall assume the responsibility
for determining what is minimally proper and possible for
Dr. Paul Berg -2- July 10, 1973

the local situation."

If we on the committee can agree on this, perhaps you would
wish to bring it up at the next Council meeting.

Best regards.

Sincerely yours,

ee oon ny
Maurice R. Hilleman, Ph.D.
Director, Virus & Cell Biology Research

Merck Institute for Therapeutic Research

/mmh

Encl.

cc: Dr. G. Klein J
Dr. D. Nathans»
Dr. E. Reich
Dr. E. Barkley (NCI)

P.S. The source for the revised biohazard standards is:

Dr. Emmett Barkley

Bldg. 41, Room A118

National Cancer Institute
National Institutes of Health
Bethesda, Maryland 20014